The Description

Norfolk State University Logo Redesign (Concept)

Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public four-year, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision for all sports including football) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

I took on the task of designing a visual identity for the athletic department of one of my favorite universities in my home state, Virginia. The challenge was to create a distinct identity that stands firmly on its own, in a league that includes three other universities that have a spartan as a mascot. It was also important that the identity maintain a cohesion that could scale with the all 15 of NSU intercollegiate sports teams.

Client:Norfolk State University

Date:October 2015

Type:Identity

Site:www.nsu.edu

The Process

  • Step 1.

    The process of the redesign began by diving deep into the university’s long, storied history. The institution was founded On September 18, 1935 as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University, and is a historically black university. Eighty-five students attended the first classes held in 1935.
  • Step 2.

    As of 2015, the institution educates more than 6,200 undergraduate students.

    Step 2.

    As of 2015, the institution educates more than 6,200 undergraduate students.
  • Step 3.

    The new design emphasizes the institution’s long and strong history; a history very similar to the Spartans of Sparta, around 650 BC.